27-02-2003 04:14									#1
	Why is scalping illegal? Remove this text

I dont get it... it seems legitimate. You buy tickets then re-sell them. its the standard merchant idea of buy low sell high yet you can get arrested. For what reason? What legal basis is there for this?


thanks

	27-02-2003 04:18									#2
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Because it hurts to lose your scalp ?

	27-02-2003 04:21									#3
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

Do you know what a pissoff it is to have tickets go on sale for, I don't know, say 50 bucks a pop at the ticket agency; scalper offices hire bums to stand in line to buy up all tickets, then mark them up in price.

	27-02-2003 04:27									#4
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

Slowwwhand:

But what legal basis is there for making it illegal? if anything, the scalper is in the right because he purchases a ticket and can do whatever he wants with it. is this one of those laws that just exists without having any abstract legal basis?

	27-02-2003 04:32									#5
	Support Apolyton

In any sort of contract, in this a contract to sell something, you have a right to attach conditions to the contract when making it. In this case, the contract bans reselling the ticket.

	27-02-2003 04:34									#6
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

I know. Many say it's an outdated law.
What should happen is people boycott buying scalped tickets.

" $17 tickets to a Garth Brooks concert for $800 each"
Uhhh, no thank you. Choke on it.

	27-02-2003 04:36									#7
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

Scalping is not illegal in all venues. If it were a licensing issue, it should aplly everywhere. I believe that it would be more of a local regulated activity. It should be legal in my opinion.

	27-02-2003 04:58									#8
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

"This item is not for resale"

	27-02-2003 05:02									#9
	Full PM-box? Change here!

He knows what it says. He wants to know why it says it.

	27-02-2003 05:03									#10
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

Why is it illegal to just set up a table on the sidewalk and sell items? Because you need a permit to do it. Why? Because a licensed vendor is far less likely to be cheating the customers.

Many scalpers hock bogus tickets. It happens all the time in New York. Were scalping legal, police would have far less means of controlling this kind of swindling.

	27-02-2003 05:24									#11
	Full PM-box? Change here!

It was funny in manhattan, they were all these guys selling cd's and stuff, in the street. THey had a big blanket placed in the street and cd's in the blanket.. then there was the look out guy who whistled and then all the 'vendors' grabbed their blankets, cd's inside them, and changed to new spot .

	27-02-2003 05:34									#12
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

CD bootlegs are so easily done.

	27-02-2003 05:37									#13
	Suffering from ads?

Yep.. but the best 'street business' was these guys having big sign that said they're selling pick up lines that will work for let's say one dollar per pick up line .

I guess it was working since they were in the same place with that same sign for many days.

	27-02-2003 05:40									#14
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

And as for the topic here, there have been many problems with people selling fake tickets..

	27-02-2003 06:25									#15
	Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

Shi -

quote: In any sort of contract, in this a contract to sell something, you have a right to attach conditions to the contract when making it. In this case, the contract bans reselling the ticket.

True, but who required this contract, the law or the original ticket sellers? Scalping should not be illegal and there is a simple free market solution as you've touched on - the original ticket sellers can simply prohibit the re-selling of the tickets as part of the contract. If I buy 4 tickets for a concert and 1 person opts out, I shouldn't be forced to take the loss. If the law prohibits me from re-selling the ticket - "scalping" - then the law should also require the original ticket seller to refund my money.

	27-02-2003 06:39									#16
	Increase Your PM Length

Organized scalping is wrong and should be illegal. It's just a bunch of *******s buying all the tickets to take advantage of people who want to visit some sort of event.

There's nothing wrong with selling individual tickets if say, someone backs out and you are stuck with a ticket. Unfortunately, people think in black and white and think that when we say "scalping is wrong" we are somehow referring to some instance when someone is legitimately selling an unwanted ticket... these morons somehow think the government simply wants to oppress them when in fact the government and the legislature is protecting consumers from illegitimate organized thievery.

	27-02-2003 06:54									#17
	Full PM-box? Change here!

IIRC, some scalping laws don't prohibit reselling a ticket for its face value. It's the 200+% markups that are the problem. I have no problem with someone reselling a ticket they can't use for its initial value, and don't think many cops would care, either.

	27-02-2003 13:09									#18
	Browse Apolyton AD-FREE

quote: Originally posted by Boris Godunov IIRC, some scalping laws don't prohibit reselling a ticket for its face value. It's the 200+% markups that are the problem. I have no problem with someone reselling a ticket they can't use for its initial value, and don't think many cops would care, either.

...but I thought it was illegal because scalpers duped customers?

If the real reason is price controls, I'm against it, especially for something as inconsequential as this. Free Market!

	27-02-2003 13:23									#19
	Suffering from ads?

i agree with mad monk, free market. scalping has reached its equalibrium point in the market.

	27-02-2003 17:01									#20
	Get a bigger avatar today!

if you've got enough 'bottle' and wait right until the start of the gig/game/whatever the scalpers are usually caught with spare tickets and start to let them go cheaply anyway.

the annoying thing thats started happening over here (UK) is big travel companies buy thousands of tickets for soccer games and then sell them as part of packages, so you have to travel to the game with them, stay in their hotel overnight after the game etc.

	27-02-2003 17:56									#21
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

free market is the equivalent of extortion...

	27-02-2003 18:06									#22
	Browse Apolyton AD-FREE

Scalping seems fine, and if you are worried about swindling, this should be a "buyer beware" situation - you KNOW that most scalpers tend to be unsavory sorts, so why the hell would you trust them? And if you do, and get ****ed, it's your problem. Or find the guy and sue him for fraud. I don't care.

But don't tell me what I can and can't do based upon **** like that.

	27-02-2003 18:39									#23
	Support Apolyton, pre-order Civilization IV

quote: Originally posted by Sava free market is the equivalent of extortion...

	27-02-2003 18:41									#24
	Increase the size of your Attachments

Actually, we will tell you what you can and can't do. Because we are in the majority, and libretarians for now and the forseeable future have even less support than the greens.

	27-02-2003 19:28									#25
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

The nice thing about free markets is that you can refuse to be extorted. You simply don't buy. If the market will not bear the price, then the scalper will not get his 200+% mark up. If the market will bear the price, then the original seller is not balancing supply with demand. I agree with Mad Monk. Prohibiting resale based upon price alone is nothing more than price controls. Let the market decide and let the buyer beware!

	27-02-2003 20:08									#26
	Got spare money?

The nice thing about free markets is that you can refuse to be extorted. You simply don't buy.

You also don't pick at it until it goes away, you don't negotiate with tewwawists, etc.

There is a sucker born every minute and I don't want to pay insane markup just because everyone else is jumping off the bloody cliff.

Fortunately, I don't go to concerts or athletic events.

	27-02-2003 20:56									#27
	Support Apolyton

quote: Originally posted by PLATO1003 The nice thing about free markets is that you can refuse to be extorted. You simply don't buy. If the market will not bear the price, then the scalper will not get his 200+% mark up. If the market will bear the price, then the original seller is not balancing supply with demand. I agree with Mad Monk. Prohibiting resale based upon price alone is nothing more than price controls. Let the market decide and let the buyer beware!

I disagree. Events such as this are limited-seating venues and so there isn't an unlimited supply of tickets. When scalpers obtain tickets, they take away from the pool of available seats, essentially holding those seats for ransom. It's not like you can just go down the block and see the same show. If I only go to New York only once every 5 years and want to see The Producers, its just not fair that the seats are all sold out because scalpers have snatched them up.

What's to stop a company from buying every seat for a popular show and then reselling them at a huge cost? Seems like it is rather unfair for both the theater and its patrons.

	27-02-2003 22:06									#28
	Get a bigger avatar today!

And don't forget, buying is voting.
You cast your "dollar vote", in essence saying "All is fine".
If it's not fine, vote No. Don't buy.

	28-02-2003 00:07									#29
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

The thing is boris, is that scalping doesnt effect quality of life for most people other than the scalpers. sure it sucks you cant see the show but this isnt a neccesary thing for life.

	28-02-2003 01:19									#30
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

quote: Originally posted by MRT144 sure it sucks you cant see the show but this isnt a neccesary thing for life.

You'd dare say such a thing to a gay man living in New York?